Heartbreak
by KnifeEdgeProductions
Summary: A story taking place after the neutral ending of Lilly's path in KS. About six months have passed, and Hisao Nakai is in a depressed slump, when a phone call from an old friend shakes him out of it, and into something big.
1. Chapter 1

Heartbreak

Chapter 1

The days since she left were all the same. He woke up, went to his classes at the University, came home to his shabby apartment, sat in front of the television, take his pills, and fell asleep, dreaming of her. Dreaming of the biggest mistake he d made in his pathetic life.

Hisao Nakai had given up on a lot of things in the last year of his young life. He d given up any shred of a normal school life after his heart attack, going to Yamaku Academy to finish his schooling. There he d met a number of interesting people, making a number of friends. He d even fallen in love with one Lilly Satou. He d ended up giving her up, too. As a result of this, he d given up on himself. The only reason he went to the University now was to occupy his time.

It had been six months since Lilly left for Inverness, Scotland at the behest of her father; She d broken off her relationship with Hsiao a few days beforehand, effectively rendering him a useless shell.

Lilly had promised that she would keep in touch with him, but Hisao put an end to that a month after her departure, by beginning to ignore her calls, and eventually blocking her number. He knew that if they d kept in contact it would be hazardous for his health. Just thinking of her after she left made his heart race. Hearing her voice when she d called the first few times had driven his heart to stop, skip a beat, or spasm. His heart couldn t take the strain, emotionally, nor physically.

Hanako had called a few times during her travels, and Hisao ignored her as well, mostly. She d been Lilly s best friend, and one of his, and she reminded him of everything the trio had done together. The tea, getting drunk at Hanako s birthday party thanks to Akira s carelessly buying alcohol for minors, the trip to Hokkaido, they d all been perfect. It was on that trip that Lilly had professed her love for him, and where they d made love the first time He wanted to purge everything that reminded him of Lilly from his life, even though the idea of that hurt him at the core.

The only people he d remained in contact with after graduation had been Emi, Misha, and he occasionally exchanged e-mails with Mutou regarding the University. Misha, upon instruction, wasn t to bring up Shizune, due to her relation to Lilly. She d initially protested, saying that "Shiichan hates Lilly~!" , but Hisao had explained that any connection with Lilly would be problematic to his health, which wasn t entirely true, as Shizune hadn t been part of any really memorable events in his and Lilly s relationship.

Hisao awoke to the blaring noise of his alarm clock, and sat up in bed, groaning. He swallowed his daily handful of pills after rubbing the sleep from his eyes. They went down easily. A year of the same medication had proved easier to deal with than he d initially thought, and he d become quite adept in taking the lot of them without a chaser.

Walking into his kitchen, Hisao started a pot of coffee, turning on the T.V. as he did so. "...the culprit has been identified as nineteen year old Kenji Setou. The officer s funeral will be next Tuesday in Kyoto." The reporter onscreen cleared her throat, continuing on another subject.

Hisao froze. Kenji? He half-yelled. It wasn t completely unexpected that Kenji would end up in jail one day, this Hisao knew, but he never expected the reason to be capital murder. He half expected what came next. His cell phone rang. "Hello?" he answered.

"Yes sir, this is Tokyo PD, with one Kenji Setou here wanting to use his phone call on you. Do you know this person?"

Hisao could make out Kenji s voice in the background. "Of course he knows me!" Kenji yelled.

"Sir?" the officer said.

Hisao couldn t bring himself to say it. He didn t want to get involved. "No. No, I don t know who he is."

"Says he doesn t know you, Setou." the officer said to Kenji.

The last thing Hisao heard before he hung up was Kenji, screaming. "I'll get you back one day, Nakai! We'll get even!"

The threat meant nothing to him. Kenji would be placed in a maximum security prison before and after his trial. He couldn t make good on any threat.

Could he?

Hisao shook the thought away, pouring a hot cup of coffee, and drinking it black. He yelped, dropping the hot mug to the tile floor. "Too hot!" he mouthed, sticking his face under the sink faucet and turning it on. That too, was hot. ACK! he groaned, stumbling backwards. He slipped on the now wet kitchen floor, falling back, subsequently slamming his head into the breakfast table.

He blacked out.

She d been crying for a while now, Hisao noticed as Lilly pressed her face into his shoulder as they embraced. "I love you, Hisao! Don t ever leave!" She sobbed uncontrollably into his neck.

"Lilly..." Hisao tried to respond. "It s okay. I m here." He stroked her beautiful blonde hair, holding her tightly. "I'll always be here for you."

Hisao came to to hear his cell phone ringing. Reaching into his pocket, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and remembered how he d gotten himself in his current situation. "Hello?" he said tiredly, not bothering to check caller I.D.

"Hey, Hisao."

That voice.

"Akira..." Hisao s head no longer hurt. He was back to full awareness as the sound of his ex-girlfriend's older sister came through the receiver.

"Don t sound too happy to hear from an old pal after six months." Akira said lightly.

"What do you want?" Hisao was in no mood for chat. He hadn't expected Akira to ever call him after that day in the park. He thought that she would ve known about his unwillingness to speak to Lilly, and taken a hint.

"Look, Hisao, I didn t call you as a favor to Lilly. Akira s tone was serious. In fact, she told me specifically to call everybody but you."

"You haven t said why you called, Akira. If that s all you want, then I m hanging up." Hisao made a move to close his phone.

"Stop."

There was something wrong.

"What is it?" Hisao s tone remained dry.

"Our father s sick, Hisao. He s not gonna last another month." Akira paused for a moment, maybe to think about what she wanted to say next. "And my sister s not taking it well She s been locked in her room for two days, Hisao."

"Call Hanako." Hisao said bitterly. Why should I care about Lilly s problems?

"Hisao, I-"

"Tell me that much, Akira!" Hisao yelled. "Tell me why she s my problem! Six months ago she said goodbye, and she left for Scotland with you! She's your sister! You fix her problems! I don t give a damn anymore!"

The outburst seemed to have shocked Akira. It s a few seconds before she responds. "...Hisao She loved you."

"And I loved her, Akira!"

"...I..."

"Shut up!" Hisao yelled, louder. "You're the reason she left! You should ve stayed here! She would ve stayed here if you had!" Tears started to flow down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry..." Akira said after a moment. "I really am. I know you two were in love I..."

"I dream about her every time I sleep, Akira." Hisao said, his tone even. "Do you know how hard it is to see her every time I shut my eyes? It's hell, Akira."

"Hisao I can t reach Hanako I know you two don t get along anymore, but I think you re the only one who can really get to her now." Akira sounded different than she did before.

Hisao lowered the phone for a few seconds, thinking.

_Why should I do anything about this? She deserves it._  
><em>She left me, let her deal with it.<em>  
><em>I... I love her.<em>

"Okay..." Hisao said. quietly. "put her on."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Lilly," Akira called through the locked door. "Somebody wants to talk to you." After a moment's silence, she added. "Or should I tell him you don't want to talk? I don't think poor Hisao's heart can take that, Lilly." There was only a slight bit of cheer in her tone.

"I told you not to call him." Lilly replied, finally. "Just leave me alone, Akira..." She made no move to open the door.

"You know I can't do that, sis. I'll be damned if I just let you drown in your own tears all day." She paused. "I called Hisao because I know he still cares about your wellbeing. Would you just talk to him, please?"

"How do you know he still cares? He hasn't called since graduation!" Lilly's voice was raised.

"Because he hasn't hung up on me yet. Just talk to him for a minute or two, please?"

There was a pause. A drawn out, awkward silence took hold. Then, Akira heard the bolt in Lilly's door unlock. She opened it slightly, and took the phone from Akira, and again, shut the door. "Hisao?"

Hisao wondered what was taking Akira so long. Part of him wanted to just hang up and get back to his life, but he owed Akira a favor for the things she'd said to him at the park, so he ignored the impulse. The impulse he didn't know if he could ignore, however, was the impulse to yell at Lilly. She needed to stand up and face her problems. She got herself into this situation, didn't she?

Why should he be gentle to her? Why should he show her any kindness? Yes, he loved her, but that was the problem! She'd left him, fully aware of that fact. His anger was getting the better of him. His heartbeat started to accelerate.

"Hisao?"

Lilly's voice through his phone's speakers brought Hisao back to reality, though he wouldn't call it that. "What's the problem?" He went right for the heart of the matter, not bothering to stop for small talk.

"...My father is sick..." Lilly said quietly. "Thank you for talking to me, Hisao. I thought you wouldn't want to-"

"What's he have?" Hisao cut her off

"I..."

"I'm glad Akira called." Hisao half-lied.

There was a second of silence. "He's got a tumor, and we think he has pneumonia." Lilly answered.

"Sorry to hear." Hisao wasn't lying. No matter how much pain Lilly had caused him last year, she was going through something aweful.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Lilly asked suddenly.

"What?" Hisao was taken slightly aback.

"You haven't spoken a word to me since I left with Akira, and now you're telling me you're sorry for my loss?" She was raising her voice. "Why should I care if you're sorry, Hisao?"

That hurt. Hisao had come into this situation thinking that it would be him to get angry and lose self control. He thought it would be him that did the yelling. After all, it was Lilly's fault.

Wasn't it?

"You didn't come after me, Hisao..." Lilly wasn't loud anymore, but her voice was shakey. She must have been crying. "You just stayed behind, and didn't even bother trying. All this time, you've been mad at me... And all this time, I've held onto the guilt for the pain that I caused you..." Her voice was shaking more now. She was about to lose it.

"There was no way I could've known that you wanted me to stop you... Lilly, I-"

"You didn't even try!" Lilly screamed at him. "You could've at least come after me!"

Hisao stumbled backwards, falling into a kitchen chair. It felt like he'd been hit in the stomach. His heartbeat was going haywire.

_Calm down, Hisao. _he told himself. "Lilly..." He paused, searching for the words. None came.

"I'm sure my sister will call you when we've set the funeral..." She paused. "But I think it'd be best if... If you didn't come. I wouldn't want to make a scene." Sadness was gone from her voice.

Hisao's pulse remained eratic. "Lilly... I'm sorry. I-" He was cut off by a sharp pain in his chest. "Damnit!" he choked out, clutching his ribcage.

"Hisao?" Lilly sounded concerned. "Hisao are you alright? Hisao!"

The pain stopped as quickly as it started. "Yeah," he sighed. "I'm alright..."

"I... I caused that..." Lilly's voice sounded shakier than before. "I've done that before... I'm sorry, Hisao..."

Hisao wished he could do more to comfort Lilly, but they were a world apart. "It's fine." was all he managed.

"No!" Lilly yelled again. "No it isn't! I've caused you three heart attacks now... Maybe it's best that we not talk again..."

Hisao started to say something in response, but was cut off by the sound of a click. Lilly had hung up on him. And just like that, the woman he'd loved and lost, left his life again. He knew Lilly wouldn't accept calls from him again, as he knew that she would tell Akira to do the same.

He looked at the screen on his phone for a while, pondering if he should try and call back. "What did I just..." Hisao began. "She needed help... and for this long, I..." He found he couldn't finish any questions he posed. He was dry for words.

Akira put an arm around her sister's shoulder, sitting next to her on her bed, the door finally having been unlocked. "I couldn't help overhearing..." she said.

"Why did you call him...?" Lilly responded quietly.

"Because he knows you. He can get through to you and I couldn't. And Hanako's not answering when I call her."

"But Hisao..."

"Loves you? I know that." Akira's tone became serious in an instant.

"You think he still does?" Lilly asked, a tear rolling down her face.

"Well, even if he did, you don't want him at the funeral, which conveniently stands as the only time you'll be in Japan in the foreseeable future."

Lilly burried her head into her sister's shoulder and sobbed. "I can't do this anymore..."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hisao stared at the wall. What Lilly had said to him hurt far more than any of the heart problems he'd had in his life combined. She'd openly told him not to attend her father's funeral, regardless of the fact that it would be the only time she would be in Japan in the foreseeable future. Since the day she'd left, Hisao had hoped she would come back, at least to visit, so that he could apologize in person for the moron he'd been the day she'd told him she was leaving.

And now she was coming back. She would be in Japan. It should have been the best news Hisao had heard since she'd confessed her love for him… She had requested he not see her. She had once again broken an already fragile heart. Hisao should have hated her for that. He should have stood up for himself, been assertive… But he just sat there, lost for words, while the woman he loved left his life again, even though she'd never really been back.

After some time spent staring at the wall, Hisao was no longer sure the exact length, his phone rang. The caller I.D read Misha. "Hello?" he said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Hey, Hiichan." Misha's tone was awkwardly un-Misha. "You alright?"

"Nothing to complain about." Hisao lied. "You sound like you're the one who's not alright."

"Yeah, well…" she paused. "I heard about your call with Lilly."

"You did?"

"Akira called HideakI, and he told me and Shiichan… I'm really sorry. I feel bad about not being able to help you, Hiichan. That's what friends do, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but that's what's making me feel bad."

"Listen, Shiichan's family is in Tokyo, and I'm with them. Would you like to meet up with Shiichan and me? It'd be nice to catch up, and get our minds off the whole thing with Lilly for a while."

"Sure. There's a tea shop by the University that's alright. Meet there in an hour, I guess?"

"Okay." Misha said, a little more cheer in her voice. "See you there."

Hisao smiled when he saw them. Standing away from him outside the specified meeting place, was the dynamic duo of Yamaku, ex-student council members Misha Mikado and Shizune Hakamichi.

"Hey, Misha!" Hisao called as he drew close. She turned at the sound of his voice, a large smile on her face.

"Hiichan!" Misha waved erratically, and Shizune turned as well, a somewhat less vibrant smile gracing her features.

As a little hobby, Hisao had started taken signing classes, so that if he were to ever see Shizune again, or anybody deaf for that matter, he could communicate without looking like a complete moron.

[You're late.] Shizune signed.

"Shiichan says-" Misha began.

"I'm late. Blah, blah, blah. You're just early." Hisao cut her off, signing as well.

[Aww, this means I can't make fun of you in front of your face anymore.] Shizune signed with an exaggerated huff.

"Well, I'm not the best at sign just yet." Hisao responded, and instantly wished he hadn't, when Shizune's smile grew brighter, and more menacing.

"Well, let's go inside, you two. It's cold out here." Misha suggested, and the trio entered the teashop.

After taking their seats at a booth near the window, Misha let out a sigh. An odd expression covered her face. She looked sad. "Just like the old days, huh?" she said quietly.

Hisao suppressed the urge to snort. "No." he said flatly. After receiving concerned stares from his friends, he righted himself. "Sorry…" he said, defeated. "It's just… back when we were at the Academy everything seemed so clear. We were all happy, we all had something to do all the time, to distract us from our problems. Now, it…"

"I know what you're going through." Misha said. "We've all had our ups and our downs." She offered a hollow smile.

[I may not like Lilly, but I know you were happy when you two were dating. She was too.] Shizune signed.

"I just… I wasn't there for her. Ever." Hisao said, then signed. "She was always fixing my problems for me. I never bothered to ask how she felt, or if she needed me for anything."

"From what I hear she needs you now more than ever, Hisao." Misha's use of his name was almost awkward, but the way she spoke was completely serious.

[In other words, get her back, moron.]

"It's not that easy." Hisao said, just then noticing the tea had arrived. He didn't bother to drink it. "She doesn't want me at the funeral. The last think I'd want to do is upset her at her father's service."

"With all due respect, Hisao, do something for yourself, here. I know you want to help Lilly, but trust us, she wants you to be there."

"No, she doesn't."

[Akira said Lilly cried for almost two hours after you hung up with her. I hardly think that if she wanted you to stay away, she'd cry at the idea of losing you.] Shizune punctuated the word 'losing' by repeating the gesture twice.

"She didn't 'lose' me." Hisao said evenly. "I lost her."

Just then, Misha stood from her seat, and slapped Hisao across the face, drawing the eyes of most of the patrons in the shop. "Shut up, Hisao. You lost her because you weren't willing to chase her." Her eyes felt like they were burning into Hisao's brain. "And now you get the chance to do just that, and you can't stop moaning about how you lost her to get her back." Her tone was rising. "You've got to be the dumbest man on the planet, Hisao! Do you know how many people would die to have the chance to fix a mistake like this? And you just can't shut up long enough to go and make yourself happy for once in your life?"

"I…"

"Maybe you should stay away from the funeral, Hisao. Maybe you're not good enough for Lilly. She deserves somebody willing to fight for her, and you're too much of a pansy to do that." Misha poked him in the chest. "Who knows, maybe she'll reject you anyway? You've proven you don't really love her, after all."

"I do love her." Hisao responded as best he could.

"Could've fooled me. If you love her, then at least try to get her back."

It was then that both Misha and Hisao realized they'd ignored Shizune entirely during the exchange. They both looked to her. She simply shrugged, a half terrified expression held her face.

"You're right." Hisao said at last. "I'm an idiot… Just call me about the date, would you?"

[I'll do one better.] Shizune signed.

Hisao looked at her, an unnatural smile on her face.

[I'm gonna trick Lilly into coming with me into Tokyo for a day, before the service. You'll get to talk to her then.]

"What?" Hisao stood up quickly. "No way! She'd get mad!"

Misha laughed in her usual screeching tone. "Hiichan, she loves you. She doesn't want to see you at the funeral because she's worried you'd just get hurt if you got back together with her!" She signed something additional that Hisao didn't recognize, and Shizune slapped the back of her head, glaring at her.

[Be nice.] she signed.

"What did you say?"

Misha blushed. "I'll… tell you when you're older." she said between giggles.

"Don't do it. Just tell me when the funeral is, and I'll go."

[No.]

"Why?"

[She said she didn't want you there, didn't she?]

"But I-"

Shizune held up a hand to stop him. [Respect that. Talk to her before then. Maybe she'll fall in love with you again. Maybe she won't. But she won't if you don't respect her wishes.]

"This doesn't sound like you." Hisao said automatically.

[I used to like not liking Lilly. She was so… so lazy and slow. Now she's a workaholic, and I don't have anything to be mad at her about… and it's strange.]

Misha laughed.

Hisao saw sincerity in Shizune's eyes. "I suppose you're right. Just call me with a time and place." He stood, turning to leave. "And thank you both. I'm really grateful." He walked out the door, smiling the first genuine smile he had in months. Maybe this would all work out in the end.


	4. Chapter 4

Heartbreak Ch. 4

Hisao leaned on the railing of the Nijubashi bridge, staring into the water below. It had been Lilly's idea, upon hearing about an excursion to Tokyo, to visit the old Imperial Palace, and Misha had told Hisao that this was the opportune place to talk to her.

There were tourists by the masses. Most were obviously Americans, though Hisao could spot a few Japanese families among the crowd. He smiled. A memory, no, it wasn't memory anymore, it was a dream from another life. He was about eight, on vacation in Tokyo with his parents to this very palace. He didn't know why he was remembering that now. Maybe it was because that was the last major trip he'd taken before his life had changed. Before the accident. Before Yamaku Academy. Before Lilly.

He was drawn away from the memory. Now his mind centered on the day he had the accident. He'd woken from the dream he once called life, and had desperately wanted to go back to sleep. He couldn't. The real world beckoned. Here he was different. Here, he was abnormal. Here, he was crippled. Defective.

That day he'd met a beautiful woman named Lilly Satou., and she had helped him come to respect himself and once again consider himself a human. He may be different, but that didn't mean it was a bad thing..

His mind froze. They were here. About fifty feet away, he saw her. She looked the exact same as she had the day she left. She wore the same clothes, as well. Hisao found himself half-staring at her. In front of her, leading her by the hand, was Shizune, and bringing up the caboose, Misha, a huge grin on her face.

"Where are we going?" Lilly asked calmly.

_Good. She doesn't know._

"_**We're here." Misha said, stopping. Shizune stopped too, guiding Lilly's hand to the railing. " We're on the Nijubashi bridge. The view is beautiful. Want me to describe it?"**_

_**Lilly giggled. "Sure."**_

"_**Well the bridge and the nature is beautiful, but there's something else here that I think you'd like more. Blondish hair, sweater vest, ridiculous choice in pants…"**_

"_**What are you…" Lilly trailed off.**_

"_**And arrhythmia."**_

_**Lilly spun around at the familiar voice. "No…"**_

"_**Hi, Satou." Hisao felt as though he didn't deserve to use her name. He decided to go formal.**_

_**Lilly was silent, looking in Hisao's direction. She didn't look happy. Not at all. "You…" she began. "You… you tricked me…" she said, looking into his soul with her empty eyes. "You knew I didn't want to see you but you-"**_

"_**Had to do this in person." Misha said, not drawing Lilly's blank stare.**_

"_**Lilly…" Hisao didn't move closer. "I only wanted to talk in person. I feel like it'd be better to talk face to face."**_

"_**What difference does it make to me, Hisao?"**_

_**Her tone… It was the same Hisao's had been that day at the Shanghai. "Lilly, I didn't agree to come here with any delusions of you falling for me. That was all Misha."**_

"_**Then why?"**_

"_**Because I love you. Regardless of how you feel now. Because you're the best thing that ever happened to my life… When you left I got worse than ever. It's like I'm coming off of a high."**_

_**Lilly said nothing.**_

"_**Do you remember the weekend we spent in Hokkaido?" Hisao said, tone now even.**_

"_**Of course I do. How dare you bring that up here. After all this!"**_

"_**Then you should remember something I said to you after you confessed to me. I promised you that I would never go away."**_

_**Lilly froze, her look retreating to that of a scared child. "I… remember…"**_

"_**And what did you do?" Hisao didn't let up. **_

_**Lilly stared.**_

"_**What did you do?" Hisao repeated.**_

_**A tear fell from the beautiful cheek of the blind girl in front of him.**_

"_**Tell me what you did!" Hisao yelled. "Say it! Tell me!"**_

_**The floodgates tore open. Lilly dropped to her knees, sobbing into her hands. Misha stared at Hisao in a mixture of anger and shock. **_

"_**You broke the promise yourself, Lilly." Hisao said, finally walking to her, kneeling, so their faces were even. "The feeling you're getting right now…" he whispered. "That's how I felt. There's a difference though."**_

_**Lilly barely raised her head. "W-what…?"**_

"_**I'm not going to let you stay this way." Hisao said, now loud enough for Misha. He wrapped his arms around Lilly's slender form, and hugged her tight. "I don't care if you hate me for it. In fact, if you hated me this would be over pretty fast."**_

_**Lilly felt limp in his arms. "I… I can't hate you." she said, still crying. "I tried to when you yelled at me at the Shanghai. I tried so hard…"**_

"_**You idiot." Hisao said, tone slightly light. "You're too forgiving."**_

"_**I…"**_

"_**Shh." Hisao said, finally easing his embrace. "Shock treatment can do great things." he said with humor in his voice. "I never thought I'd get to hug you again."**_

_**Misha smiled at the scene, and looked at Shizune. [Think they're gonna be okay?] she signed. **_

_**Shizune took a while to respond, looking on for a few long seconds. [They should be fine.].**_

"_**Hisao…" Lilly began. "I need… time to think about this." Tears were still forming in her eyes, but they were much less frequent. "But I'd like it if you would accompany me to my father's funeral."**_

_**Hisao smiled. "I'll be there." He helped Lilly to her feet, and they kept their hands together, fingers lightly intertwined. **_

"


End file.
